


i'm drawn to those ones that ain't afraid.

by societysgot



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Nightmares, PTSD, Shared Trauma, betty and archie finally opening up to each other, kinda a mess but, post 5x07
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-19 09:56:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29997633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/societysgot/pseuds/societysgot
Summary: "I'll tell you what," Archie shifts her a little in his arms, his cheek resting against hers, "Maybe if I help you a bit and you help me a bit— we can get through this shit together. How's that sound?"Betty hums in agreement. "I'd like that."or where betty and archie finally open up about their shared trauma and agree to work through it
Relationships: Archie Andrews/Betty Cooper
Comments: 6
Kudos: 98





	i'm drawn to those ones that ain't afraid.

She's in the kitchen when she hears it. A loud noise coming from the hallway. Betty halts in her tracks, dread coursing through her body. 

The blonde had been more on edge than ever, since she got off the phone with Glenn two days ago — waking up in cold sweats night after night. Not that that hasn’t been a daily occurence for her anyway these past few weeks.

And maybe it's nothing. A bit of creaky furniture. A gust of wind. 

But she can't be sure. And her anxiety over the uncertainty is steadily increasing by the second. Betty slips her phone into her pocket, anxiously swivelling around on her chair.

She tiptoes to the edge of the stairwell, her blonde waves framing her panicked face.

The blonde considers running upstairs for her gun as she edges past the living room. _There's no time_ , she thinks. She sucks in a breathe as she steps backwards. 

And then — she feels herself back into something — or rather, _someone_ — her heart thumping so loudly in her chest that she can hear a ringing in her ears. She turns around in a panic, eyes wide as she practically falls over the tall redhead standing opposite her.

"Jesus — Arch— Archie? What the hell?" She snaps, breathlessly, looking up at her oldest friend.

Archie steadies her, his amused expression quickly turning to one of worry as soon as his eyes reach her face, "I —sorry — it's just, your door was unlocked, and I just wanted to see if you wanted to hang out—"

"My door was unlocked? Why was— oh my god."

Her heart rate starts to pick up again, panic rising in her throat and it's only when a warm hand closes around her wrist that she stops.

"Didn't you say Alice always forgets to lock it?" He says, more casually this time, and Betty nods almost jerkily because what he's saying is the truth, but the uneasiness in her stomach is unrelenting.

Archie stares down at her, sceptically. And she really wants to pull herself out of his grip, but the warmth he's providing isn't exactly unwelcome at present. He leans down a little. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," She insists, as calmly as she can muster, flattening down her hair.

Archie gives her a look. "You're clearly not fine — what's going on? Did something happen?"

Betty forces a smile, and waves him off casually. "Everything's fine."

"Betty," Archie says more seriously this time, holding his gaze on her, "I've known you since we were four, I can tell when you're lying."

Betty bites her lip as Archie's eyes scan her face for any cracks in her facade. But before she can open her mouth to defend herself, her words are drowned out by the sound of her phone vibrating in her pocket. She whips it out before Archie can object and answers.

It's Kevin. Something about Fangs. And how he's mad at him. 

"Yeah, I have time to talk," Betty says quickly, and Archie rolls his eyes at her, tapping his foot on the ground impatiently. 

"This is not over," He hisses, shaking his head and Betty presses her finger to her lips, shushing him.

Archie slows to a stop at her front door, as Betty attempts to act as thought Kevin's relationship drama is the most fascinating thing in the world. 

"We're still on for tonight, yeah?" He whispers, with a grin.

It's Betty's turn to roll her eyes. She suppresses a grin and nods before waving him away. 

She can worry about all of this later. 

* * *

She hasn't been sleeping well of late. Ever since she got back to Riverdale. Despite having spent most of her life sleeping in that same room, it's almost unfamiliar now. Like it never really belonged to her. And the silence of her small town has been throwing her a little too. No traffic or chaos or car alarms going off at any given time. It's dead quiet — and the silence only feeds her thoughts. Giving her way too much time to think — to overthink. 

The only comfort is the sound of Archie's breathing. It's the first time in weeks, she's felt almost content — with him beside her, his chest rising and falling with every breath. He falls asleep much faster than she does. Just like when they were kids. It makes her smile.

And when she drifts off to sleep, for a moment, her mind is on him. But it's not long before the thoughts come crawling back — in the form of nightmares.

Her dream is the same one she's been having for weeks. Months, even. The trash bag killer. And her. At the bottom of that stupid well. Surrounded by body bags. All of them bloody and dismembered. Only this time, she can see some of their faces. 

And this— this hasn't happened before. Because this time, she _knows_ who they are. She knows all of them. And a flash of bloodied red hair beneath her left foot is enough to send her spiralling.

She screams and screams and screams. Her eyes are bloodshot, her throat is hoarse from the screaming but she won't stop — can't stop until someone hears her — someone, _anyone—_

Betty bolts up right, squeals spilling from her lips before she can stop them. She's pretty sure she's hyperventilating — her breathing shallow and uneven — as she tries to untangle herself from whatever's restricting her. She's pulling hard on it, and screaming and crying — it's only when she feels the body warmth of someone else that she begins to take in her surrounding.

"Betty— shit, hey, it's okay, shhh, you're okay," A familiar voice is whispering next to her and she almost collapses in relief, more tears spilling from her eyes in her anxious state. 

"Y-you're okay, Archie, oh — thank g-god, oh my god, I'm sorry, I'm _so_ sorry, Archie, I'm so— sorry."

Betty feels his grip tighten on her little and he pulls her against his chest. She buries her face into his shoulder, her fingers clenched tightly on the material on his clothing. Because she can't believe he's real. That he's here. That he's _safe_. He speaks to her softly.

"It's okay, I'm here," He whispers, soothingly in her ear, "You're okay."

She lets out a few shaky breathes, nodding, her head tucked under his chin. 

They stay like that in silence for a while. Until Betty's crying stops. Archie holding her close to him, stroking her hair, wiping her tears away every so often with his thumb. 

And when it finally feels like her breathing has resumed a normal rate, she finally finds the courage to speak.

"I sometimes get these panic attacks," She mumbles, into his chest, "Night terrors, I guess. It's not that big of a deal."

"Betty..." Archie says, sounding unconvinced, "What just happened... _is_ a big deal. You know...you can trust me, right?"

The blonde pulls away from him slightly, watching as the moonlight dances across his freckled cheeks. Leaning back, she nestles her head into her pillow, letting out a deep sigh. She can't _not_ tell him. Especially now, she thinks. And she thinks that maybe he's the only person she wants to tell.

"Something happened in Quantico. A few months ago," Betty says, before pausing for a moment, almost struggling to find the right words, "There was this case— with a serial killer."

She can still see Archie's eyes widen a little through the darkness, his grip on her arm tightening ever so slightly. 

"It was— well, it ended badly. I was so obsessed with tracking him down and turning him in that I got — a little carried away..."

She averts her gaze to her feet at that, but she can still feel his eyes on her — hanging onto every word.

"I thought I could handle it on my own — so when I found him, I didn't think to call for backup...and long story short...he outsmarted me...and I was his captive...for a week or two...I think...it's hard to remember all of it..."

Archie swallows, looking stricken. "Betty..."

"But he kept me at the bottom of this — well. And Arch," She clenches her eyes shut, as the horrific images flash through her mind yet again, "It was full of trash bags...w-with body parts in them...I couldn't get the smell out of my head for weeks..."

When she finally meets his gaze, his eyes are moist with tears. Betty sighs again, running a hand through her hair in frustration.

"And on top of all that, he managed to escape and it's all my fault because I didn't follow orders. I should've called for backup when I had the chance."

Archie doesn't miss a beat. "It's not your fault." 

She expects him to say this of course. It's in his nature. She would've said the same to him. And even though she knows it's not true, she's too tired to deny it.

"Shit, Betty," He says, leaning back against his own pillow. 

"I know."

"God, why didn't you tell me?"

"Well, would you have preferred me tell you before or after we fucked in your shower?" She quips, but she realises her mistake the second the words leave her mouth.

She cringes, hiding her face in his chest again. "No, I'm sorry — I'm sorry. That was— it just never really felt like a good time. And you know, we were having fun. The most fun I've had in a while, actually."

She attempts a smile, but Archie doesn't return it. 

"I just...want you to know that you can always come to me, okay? I mean, above everything else we're still..." He pauses strangely, for a moment before he continues in a strained voice, "Friends. _Best_ _friends_."

"I don't know — I guess, I just thought nobody would understand."

"Trust me, I do," Archie mutters, his voice going a little quieter this time, "I mean, not that scenario exactly. But I've seen some pretty....awful things. _Terrible_ things."

Betty leans a little closer, watching him curiously. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

He doesn't say anything for a moment. So, Betty takes that as her cue to speak.

"When my grandpa was still alive we were all told to never ask him about the war — because of what it did to him," She mumbles, aware that Archie is now seemingly avoiding her gaze.

"I didn't know whether you wanted to talk about it — so I just never asked. I'm so sorry."

"No, it's okay," He shrugs, meeting her gaze slowly, "I didn't think anyone here could possibly get it anyway."

Archie gives her hand a small squeeze. "Guess I was wrong."

"The thing is, sometimes, I think it was all for nothing," He says, with an almost pained expression, "Like, the war didn't change anything. And I lost so many friends — guys in my unit. And yet I got to go home at the end of it. There was so much more I could've done."

"From what I've heard you did more than enough," Betty replies, assuringly, "Aren't you the reason your friend Jackson is still alive?"

"Yeah, and missing a leg."

"Arch," She moves closer, her hand resting on the nape of his neck, and looking him straight in the eye, "You did all that you could."

"So did you, Betty." 

Betty scoffs loudly at that. "No I didn't. I got proud. And now people are probably dead because of me."

"And me."

They stare at each other for a moment, before an almost delirious laugh suddenly erupts from the smaller blonde.

"God, are we fucked up or what?" She claps her hands over her mouth straight away, her eyes filling with tears again.

Archie's eyes widen in shock, before he too, lets out a deep laugh. But Betty's shaking her head, frustratedly. "Sorry that's not— funny, oh my god, I'm such a fucking mess."

"Ditto, Cooper," Archie says, pulling her closer to him, and she rests her chin on his chest, so she can still see his face.

She can feel him playing with the ends of her hair. And his heart beating beneath her. It brings a sort of calm over her. A calm she hasn't felt in a long time.

"Do you still get nightmares?" She asks, quietly, absentmindedly tracing circles on the palm of his hand.

She feels him tense beneath her slightly. "Sometimes."

"Maybe you should think about going to therapy," Betty shifts a little in her position, to get a better look at him, "That's what I do."

To her surprise, Archie's eyebrows quirk up in surprise. "You signed up for therapy?"

"No, the precinct made me. Said they couldn't have me working on cases if I wasn't mentally stable, or whatever."

"Yeah, see I knew you wouldn't have signed up for therapy voluntarily."

She pokes him in the side, which elicits a little 'ow' from him and she laughs. "Shut up."

"I'll tell you what," Archie shifts her a little in his arms, his cheek resting against hers, "Maybe if I help you a bit and you help me a bit— we can get through this shit together. How's that sound?"

Betty hums in agreement. "I'd like that."

It's silent again for a moment after that. Nothing but the sounds of their breathing and the rain drumming against the window. 

"I used to get nightmares in high school too," Betty eventually whispers, breaking the silence.

"About what?"

She interlocks her fingers with his. "Losing you."

"That night in Pickens park? With Mr Svenson?"

She nods.

"Yeah. I used to have nightmares about that too. About him holding a gun to your head—"

"Arch, I nearly buried you _alive—_ "

"But you didn't."

"Yeah, but I could've—"

"I got into that grave to protect you," He says, dismissively, "And I'd do it again."

A lump forms in Betty's throat at that, and she blinks away tears. She doesn't know what to say. S

"Who would've thought everything would get _so much_ worse," She continues after a minute or so, "—what, with my dad, and the trash bag killer and now Polly going missing, I just—"

"It's gonna be okay. We're gonna find her," Archie tilts his head to look at her properly, "I promise, we'll do everything we can. I can even get some of the guys from the fire department to help—"

"Arch, no— you already have so much on your plate right now, you don't have to—"

"I _want_ to. I'm not letting you go through this alone."

Betty can't stop herself. She presses a long kiss to his mouth. It's slow and soft — her salty tears and their combined sadness seemingly mixed throughout. But it's _good_. It's _them_. When he pulls away, he presses his forehead against hers, before she settles back onto her mattress, his arms still encircling her. 

"I missed you, Arch," She whispers through the darkness.

"I missed you too, Betty."


End file.
